The state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the territory of Russia in the compatriots' eyes in the 2000s (the example of the Siberian Federal District)

After the Soviet Union's collapse, the Russian Federation faced the task of protection and support of Russian and Russian-speaking population of the former Soviet republics that faced the threat of loss of ties with Russia as a homeland in the conditions of the course to build new nation-states, the acquisition of the minority status and the growth of anti-Russian and anti-Russian sentiments. There are two directions of the state policy in this sphere: the assistance to migration to the territory of Russia and the establishment of interaction with compatriots and their organizations residing abroad. Since 2006, Russia implements the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation. By the beginning of 2015 55 Russian subjects have become parties to the program, among them the 9 regions of the Siberian Federal District. The aim of the program is the mutually beneficial use of the potential of compatriots and regions to address regional socio-economic and demographic problems. On the basis of the programs of the SFD subjects, it can be concluded that the initial expectations of interest in the resettlement of compatriots in Russia were high, which is reflected in the planned indicators in the following edition of the program. The purpose of this article is to identify the factors of attraction of the state program for compatriots, as well as the difficulties that occur when moving to the territory of the Siberian Federal District. To achieve the goal the author conducted a survey among 100 persons in the regions of the Siberian Federal District and analyzed interviews with settlers in the Russkiy mir [Russian World] journal. Based on the data sources it can be concluded that, in spite of the shortcomings in the mechanism of the program implementation, compatriots evaluate it positively as an opportunity to return to Russia and get Russian citizenship in simplified terms. Despite this, settlers note there are serious disadvantages associated with the flaws of the program (especially in the field of information support of both the people and the host country, as well as in registration and housing search). Insufficient is, firstly, the federal government's role in addressing these issues, and, secondly, the use of the experience of other regions (for example, on the establishment of a temporary accommodation center). Even given the fact that the program is not a program of repatriation, but only of facilitating resettlement, its qualitative improvement will help enhance the attractiveness (which is especially important for the SFD regions characterized by migration loss) and overall optimization of its practical implementation.

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